Across organizations worldwide, artificial intelligence has moved from experimental technology to operational necessity, with 78% of global companies now using AI in their operations as of late 2026. This rapid adoption raises a critical question for IT leaders: is your team truly prepared to support AI-powered operations?
The shift from AI experimentation to necessity demands immediate action: is your IT team ready for what’s already here?
The current state reveals significant preparation gaps. While 42% of organizations believe their strategy is highly prepared for AI, they report being far less ready in infrastructure, data management, risk mitigation, and talent development. This disconnect creates operational vulnerabilities as companies rush to deploy AI solutions without adequate support systems.
Customer support represents the area where agentic AI is expected to deliver the highest impact. Seventy percent of customer experience leaders plan to integrate generative AI into numerous customer touchpoints within two years, and 81% intend to embed AI into existing agent tools next year. However, infrastructure readiness lags behind these ambitious deployment plans. The cost and complexity of integrating AI with existing systems remains a major barrier, alongside difficulties establishing clear return on investment.
The skills gap presents the most significant obstacle to successful AI integration. Despite widespread deployment plans, only 38% of customer experience leaders have provided adequate generative AI training, while 55% of agents have received no training whatsoever. Among the 45% who did receive AI training, merely 21% felt satisfied with the instruction quality. Organizations lack foundational digital literacy, ranking this deficiency as the top barrier to AI adoption.
Your infrastructure must evolve rapidly. Worker access to AI increased 50% in 2025, and projects in production are expected to double within six months. This acceleration demands immediate action on training and system integration. Sixty-seven percent of organizations expect increased AI investment over the next three years, with 70% already investing in tools that capture customer intent signals.
The stakes are substantial. Companies that successfully integrate AI report impressive outcomes: 92.1% saw measurable results, and 66% achieved productivity and efficiency gains. Your IT team’s readiness will determine whether your organization joins these success stories or struggles with costly implementation failures. Organizations that integrate ITSM platforms often see reduced downtime and measurable cost savings.
